Mr. Onur Gilleard
Qualifications & Experience
Mr Onur Gilleard is a distinguished consultant plastic surgeon on the GMC specialist register. He previously held an NHS consultant post at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, specialising in skin cancer and microsurgical reconstruction. In 2021, Mr Gilleard transitioned from the NHS to dedicate himself fully to private practice, allowing him to focus exclusively on providing personalised, high-quality care to his patients. He is recognised as an expert in laser treatments, having conducted research and developed advanced treatment protocols using cutting-edge laser technology to optimise both clinical outcomes and cosmetic results.
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Milia are tiny, hard, white bumps — small keratin cysts trapped just under the skin’s surface, most
often around the eyes and cheeks. They’re harmless but stubborn: unlike a spot, you can’t squeeze them out, and they
rarely clear with skincare alone. Professional removal — careful extraction or CO₂ laser — clears them cleanly without
scarring or the damage home picking can cause.
What Milia Are
Milia are 1–2 mm dome-shaped white or yellowish bumps caused by keratin (a skin protein) becoming trapped in a tiny cyst
beneath the surface. They feel firm, don’t have an opening like a blackhead, and aren’t infected or painful. They’re very
common around the eyes, on the cheeks and across the nose, and they’re often confused with whiteheads — but milia have no
pore to express, which is exactly why squeezing doesn’t work and can damage the skin.
Why They Form
Milia appear when dead skin cells don’t shed normally and become trapped. Common contributors include heavy or occlusive
skincare and make-up, sun damage that thickens the skin, and minor skin trauma (so-called secondary milia after burns,
blistering or aggressive resurfacing). Some people are simply more prone to them. They can occur at any age, including in
newborns, where they usually clear on their own.
How We Remove Them
Because milia sit in a tiny closed sac, the reliable options are professional:
- Expert extraction: a clinician makes a tiny opening with a sterile needle and gently releases the keratin plug — quick, precise and far safer than home attempts.
- CO₂ laser: for clusters, milia in delicate areas such as close to the eye, or stubborn lesions, a focused CO₂ laser vaporises each milium with pinpoint accuracy and minimal disturbance to surrounding skin. London Skin Clinic has dedicated CO₂ laser expertise for precisely this kind of work.
Both are performed in clinic with little to no downtime. Because milia treatment varies with how many you have and the
method used, the price is confirmed at your £100 consultation rather than fixed in advance. You can
book an assessment, and if your bumps turn out to be larger
cysts rather than milia, see our face cyst removal guide.
Preventing Them
You can reduce milia by using lighter, non-occlusive moisturisers and eye creams, removing make-up thoroughly, wearing
daily sun protection to limit sun-thickening of the skin, and gentle regular exfoliation (for example with a suitable
retinoid or mild acid, on professional advice). Avoid picking — it doesn’t clear milia and risks marks or infection.
Common questions
- Can I get rid of milia at home?
- Not reliably. Milia have no pore to squeeze, so picking doesn’t release them and can damage the skin or cause marks, especially around the eyes. Lighter skincare and gentle exfoliation may help over time, but established milia are best removed by professional extraction or CO₂ laser.
- Are milia the same as whiteheads?
- No. A whitehead is a blocked pore that can be expressed; a milium is a tiny keratin cyst with no opening. They look similar but are removed differently — which is why a product or technique that works on whiteheads won’t clear milia.
- Does milia removal hurt or leave marks?
- Discomfort is minimal — extraction is a quick pinprick and CO₂ laser is very precise, often with topical numbing for sensitive areas. Performed professionally, both clear milia without the scarring or marks that home picking can cause, with little downtime.
- Will milia come back after removal?
- Treated milia don’t usually recur in the same spot, but people prone to them can form new ones. Lighter skincare, sun protection and gentle exfoliation reduce that tendency, and any new milia can be cleared at a follow-up.
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